Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-12-12

we saw the ruin of ell our hopesl To wait
the coming Of our foes was vain They
we've now near at hand, and we could see
their guns, with which they would be able
to fight us at long range. The car which.
IL the day had been dry, would long before
this have filed the bridge with mass OF
roaring fame was burning faster than
the bridge To take il to another bridge
was useless, fer the drenehing rain would
have given it little chance to burn away
from the shelter Of the bridge. VERY
sadly we left the tall column Of smoke
behind. The pursuers saw the car, and
realizing how serious their loss would be
If 1t was permitted to consume the bridge,
they pushed right into the smoke and
showed the burning car on to Ringgold,
but short distance ahead, where it was
left TO smoke and sputter in the rain on
the side track.
We were now on what proved to be our
Last run have often been asked if this
day was n1t one OF great fear and terror
on the part of those who were engaged in
the race. For my own part, / cannot
guns and ammunition could readily have
been gathered on our way.
But all these advantages depended on
our keeping together under one head. An
army scattered and disorgauized is lot;
and our little army was no exception
The fatal command which Andrews now
gave as We were huddled together in the
wood box Of the tender was to jump off,
one by one, scatter in the woods. and each
man strive to make his own way back TO
the Union ARMY We hesitated, but had
no concert of action, no leader, no time
for council, and the instinct Of obedience
Ell mt a
fatal order, and led directly to the calami-
ties that followed. 1t transformed US in
q moment from formidable body Of
picked soldiers. ready to fight to death,
into a scattered mass of fugitive boys, be-
wildered and hopeless in an enemy's
country.
Yet no one OF Us felt like censuring our
leader for this order, which every one at
the moment believed to he a terrible mis-
take. Probably he thought that each
man OF the party would find relief in
being cast entirely on his own resources.
1t must further be remembered. in tx
PLANTATION OF this mistaken order, that
Andrews had slept none the night before,
that lie had been nearly twentyfour hours
without food and that he had spent nearly
two days and night in the most exhaust
ing labors, both mental and physical, that
II is possible to conceive. He has seen his
cherished plans when on the brink Of sue
cess, overthrow by what seemed the re-
morseless hand of destiny. To the many
failures and sorrows of his past life had
been added the browning misfortune of
this defeat. Perhaps under his calm brow
he realized this with an intensity OF
anguish, and felt that the greatest favor
he could do those he had led within sight
of Il horrible death. and into the presence
of an enraged and triumphant foe, was to
separate them at once from his own dark
and Swallowed destiny. II so, that was
the most fearful mistake of all; and as this
order was given, we could almost, as we
looked southwark through the driving
rain and the storm clouds, behold already
the dark outline Of the Atlanta scaffoldsl
1t was pitifull The General had served
us well ever since the morning hour in
fearful speed and patient waiting, in ex-
ulting raptures and in almost despair. 1t
was hard to abandon her now. She was
substantially uninjured. The engineers,
Brown and Knight, had taken good care
of her, and with wood and oil in abund-
ance there would have been no difficulty
on her part in completing the run to
Huntsville She was still jogging along
II,
and could maintain that pace little
longer. The pursuers had also diminished
their speed, so as to just keep us in sight,
having apparently no wish to press upon
what may have seemed to them like a
wounded and dying lion. The command
to Jump off and scatter" was repeated
with the injunction to be quick about it,
as the engineer wished to reverse the en-
CINE aud drive it back upon the enemy.
With such reason there could be no
more hesitation 1t is said that some
three or four had already got off at the
first word of command; but the most Of
us had hesitated, not on account of the
still rapid motion of the train, but in the
idle hope that in some way this terrible
parting might be averted. Now one
after another clambercd down on the step
and swung off l was neither among
the first nor the last, and jumping unskill-
fully out from the step, instead Of for
ward, whirled over and over on hands and
feet for several revolutions. Rising in a
dazed condition, though unhurt, with the
exception of a few scratches from the
briers with which the place abounded,
looked over the animated scene with the
deepest interest The men who jumped
of were, according to instructions, flying
in different directions, few others were
just coming off the engine in much the
same way that | had DONE while the en-
gineers were attempting to carry out their
scheme of reversing the engine, which
could do no good now, except possibly to